Nokia N900, N97-mini Hands-on Video -- Smartphone Round Robin
TiPb-verse, the 2009 Smartphone Round Robin starts NOW! And for me, it starts with what's likely the biggest challenge -- Nokia and its dual platforms of Symbian S60 and Maemo as represented by the N97-mini and the netbook-that-thinks-its-a-smartphone, N900. Hugely popular everywhere that's not North America, it wasn't in last year's Round Robin, and truth-be-told, I've barely ever seen it before.
To get some extra help, I've got a post up at NokiaExperts.com, where I'm really hoping to get my understanding expanded a notch (or ten).
Dieter Bohn, on duty for Palm webOS has likewise triumphantly returned to TiPb's iPhone forums, and you folks really need to get in there an get him up to date on all things iPhone 3GS and 3.x.
(As extra incentive, remember that every day you post a reply on those threads (or the other Round Robin threads) you get another chance to win on of six (6!) smartphones -- one per site!)
To get things kicked off right, we've got a video after the break where likely the best man on earth for the job, Matt Miller gives me a guided tour of the N97-mini and N900, helps me with the interface, and reveals the awesome power of the platforms.
Next up, I spend the week figuring out what Symbian S60 and Maemo mean in relation to the iPhone, the smartphone space in general, and to new users considering their first platform, or veterans considering making the switch. That'll all be summed up right here on Friday. Can't. Wait.
Editor-in-Chief of iMore, Executive Producer at Mobile Nations, co-host of Iterate and ZEN and TECH, cook, grappler, photon wrangler.
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The N900 looks pretty slick!
Usability fail! Sorry, but having folders and a bunch of unresponsive widgets does not make up for the poor usability and complexity of this device. For geeks only.
It's interesting that one thing N900 owners like about the N900 is the desktop browsing experience. I've been kind of sold on mobile optimized websites.
Probably the most impressive thing I've seen about the N900 is that if you load up several websites, and look at all of them at once in mini-view, all those windows are live. I'm kind of curious how they pull that off.
Rene, you've got to learn how to use a resistive touchscreen!
The N900 is pretty much Nokia's best offering since the N95, since ALL of the S60 devices released in 2008-2009 lack both in hardware (no GPU) and software (S60 was way outdated and all they did was adapt it to touch).
When someone has to sit next to you to show you how to use your phone, it's time to take it back and get a refund.
@fastlane
Could not agree more.
Got my N900 on Friday last week, Oh My God, what a great bit of kit. A little complex for about an hour, but then when you get to grips with it GREAT. Great display and responsive. The best touch device I've ever had. My 1st Nokia in about 6 year and I'm very happy with it. Not a single hang or crash it just works. Looking forward to checking out my M8 X6 later this week. But it will have to be good to out do the N900. That said they are very different devices, for different type of people. Its not that one is better then the other, its more about what you want from a device.
@fastlane - So when Rene is showing Dieter how to use the iPhone 3Gs (as we see on the Pre Central) that means we should take the iPhone back? C'mon guys, it's the new format for the Round Robin. Give them a break!
Looks good but the screen seems very unresponsive. If you are going to put a touch screen on something make it work.
@Christopher Vitek:
Perhaps they should take Dieter back.
That was a joke, by the way...
I agree, the whole folder setup is a fail.
And here comes all the "N900 sucks, iPhone is awesome" posts...
@Joe McG
What's your problem? I watched Rene tap about 6 times on an icon before it responded - if that doesn't suck, what does?
@mystic
my iphone does the same thing, i slide/swipe/press and get no response until maybe the 5th try. can you explain that to me
@ Joe McG...
you said it. I just got my N900 and its one hell of a phone. I actually prefer it over my 3GS <---OMG did he just say that!?
Put down the kool aid fanboys.
@ mystic
They are 2 different screens. Its not that the N900 isnt responding, it is because he has been an iPhone user since day 1 and isnt used to anything else.
Damn guys, just because he doesnt take to it right away doesnt mean it is faulty or it sucks. As I said, I have an N900 and once you get it down its a lot better.
Sorry, but when I tap on something, I want it to do something. First time.
@I didn't say it
If you iphone isn't responding first time, there's something wrong with it.
N900 is a nice device but it's designed for the 10% of the general population. For everybody else there is an iPhone (or one of it's numerous clones/droids).
unimpressed. The i-phone looks like a more thought out product..all were missing is flash
@Mystic,
Tapping style on a resistive and capacitive screen is different. So no wonder, you or anyone else who has been using capacitive screen and never used resistive will require few "hours" to get used to it. And even then, if there is any device in the market that offers as many features and capabilities like N900, then i would still buy it even if it requires rare more tapping events.
Now, after watching the video, it is clear that the user is not used to Resistive screen. Its pretty evident when he tried to click on that desktop bookmark or when sliding the homescreen. On Nokia's resistive screen phones, you have to hold and drag the screen rather than just casual swipe like iphone. Similarly you have to click with mainly pointed end of your finger or press little bit harder than on capacitive screen if using flat part of your finger. Also, these phones(not sure about N900) are designed to be easily usable with one hand in most cases. So the user should have been using with just one hand and using his thumb for all the taps and clicks, that makes very easy rather than using two hands.
During his one week of use, he should try to adapt to different style of using these different phones rather than just try to find comparisons between S60/Maemo and iphone, else there would be no fair comparison until you know how to use both.
P.S: I don't have N900, i have Nokia 5800, but know enough about N900 than the author here.
Oh, also we are not sure, if the N900 used in the video is a pre-production unit handed by Nokia to developers/online communities or a brand new unit being shipped to end-users?
As i believe, the final software version is different on shipping units than pre-production units.
And what about N97 mini?
n900 is garbage to much lag. nokia is in trouble apple and palm are the only 2 oses i would ever use.
So many excuses for the crappy resistive touch screens on both the Nokia devices.
@Hary
I completely understand the difference between the two touch screen technologies, so you can save the lecture.
The fact of the matter is, iPhone OS capacitive touch screen addss up to a more fluid, responsive and effortless experience. Period.
Do the other blogs in the Smartphone Experts Network have "fanboys" like this one? I'm not one to use that term, but I'm just wondering.
Iphone users hate any other phone accept the iphone. I have a Iphone 3GS on T-mobile and am getting a N900 for X-mas (I saw it on my wife statement).
The N900 looks so nice and the iphone lacks a lot of features that the N900 has. Apple better step up big time on the next gen Iphone cause this N900 and Droid phone on Verizon looks great!
I'm glad the iPhone doesn't have flash. We want to minimize the load times on webpages, why wait longer for a page to load just so some ad can load up as we saw in the video. Many website are switching over h.264 so video viewing is becoming much less of an issue. I don't really need to play farmville on my iPhone so I'll say no thanks to flash.
and thats what makes you a fanboy, the fact that you will try to convince yourself and others that you dont need something because apple won't provide it for you, what serious tech enthusiast doesnt find a fully fledged, open linux environment in thier pocket appealing, apple seems to own ur ass man!!!
Jeez.
Obviously Rene isn't used to a resistive touch screen. That's why many of the times his taps did not register.
And yeah, flash on any phone would be genius. Saying you don't need it seems like you think your smartphone company is almighty and perfect. Flash with an app to stop the loading of advertisements = godly.
@PeteIK:
So, what? I didn't need to get used to anything during my first time using an iPhone demo in an AT&T store. I never asked anyone for help.
Anyone who likes this phone should buy it, but justifying it's shortcomings with "You gotta get used it" is a weak argument.
This is an interesting report (actually just a synopsis with link) about how iPhone users are delusional.
http://www.strandreports.com/sw4031.asp
What's even more delusional is people making excuses for inferior screen technology.
iPhone really, really needs to step up the lock screen. I'd much rather see widgets with updated info than a background pic.
The resistive screen & hard keyboard are a no-go for me. IMO the only reason it needs a keyboard is because of the touch technology. I just can't, and have no desire to, get used to fingernail typing. Or swiping. Or tapping.
Whenever I see friends using my iPhone as if it were resistive I have to explain to them that it runs off the static of your skin and pushing harder doesn't make a difference. If you felt the screen, then the screen felt you. Once you get used to it, you can get amazingly precise with your taps. When you have to push on the screen it's too easy to fat finger something.
Oh, and I thought it was pronounced Nōkia, eh?
@Mystic: I can't speak for the others, but I was just responding to the fact that Rene is in the terrible situation where he is being forced to use every top of the line smartphone for a week at a time, without making any financial commitment of any kind, just to see what each of them is like. In order to have the least frustrating and the most enjoyable experience under these horrendous circumstances, it would be to his benefit to perform the complicated task of turning his thumb or finger about 20 to 25 degrees to one side -- that is, in the direction that, fortunately for him, is consistent with the way the finger joints actually move -- such that he is working with the most precise area of his finger, instead of the least. Otherwise, he's going to have a pretty terrible week.
However, if I were to "make excuses for an inferior screen technology," I would probably suggest that if someone wants a desktop style browser on your <4" 800x480 touchscreen phone -- which I'm not sure that I do -- then probably what would work best is a very precise 1:1 form of input -- which, in the case of one's finger, corresponds to what is frequently called "the side."
@Dennis - my capacitive screen lets me use the slightly rounded nature of the "least precise" part of my thumb. By being able to actually just touch my touchscreen rather than pressing down, I don't have to flatten out that wonderful roundedness. Voilà - precision - minus the arthritis.
But once you get good at it, it kinda feels like the finger equivalent of twinkle-toes. I need to go hit something to feel manly again. Has my fridge stopped working yet? <-- see what I did there?
@Mike M: I admire the facility with which you included the diacritical mark.
i think if everyone copied exactly how the iphone's touchscreen worked, wed complain about them copying :/ i guess its preference.
The N900 is a great and very responsive phone, the iphone dude here does not do it justice as he cannot operate the screen! Heck he can barely even open the keyboard on the n97 mini which is not exactly rocket science. Maemo 5 is a joy to use whereas S60 5th on the other hand is flaky and annoying to use...
The simplicity of the iphone has spoiled users into stupidity!
@Dennis - I try
Humor is often hard to pull off in blog comments, as is sarcasm. Unless it's dripping with it like your post was, which cracked me up BTW.
@Jeremy - So the iPhone is so easy to use it...um...makes other phones...hard...to...use...? The keyboard thing I can understand though. If you don't know how much pressure it takes to open vs how much it takes to break it if you're not doing it right - on a borrowed phone - and you have a guy 2 feet away that knows how to open it trying to grab it from you, then you take the safe route.
But he did kinda look like an extra in a Billy Mays (RIP) commercial. I half-expected him to throw up his hands in WTF fashion in a few places during the video. Classic case of twinkle-fingers I suppose.
I see so many comments bashing the resistive screen of the N900 but having lived in cold climates before I think there's a real benefit there. Just because you need to press more firmly and tap on the screen doesn't mean it's any less intuitive.
Nokia used to be the IT phone, when it was just regular phones, but it feels like they got stuck there.
I don't think I know anybody who didn't have one of those nokia bricks. Snake was awesome back in the day!
"nokia won't have capacative until 2010"
Erm, X6? Out now.
@Mike M Not knocking the iphone, easy of use is great and other manufacturers have a long way to catch up! Also did'nt CNET dub the iphone the worst phone in the world a while back??
Break it by pushing out the keyboard? On most phones this is an intuitive operation!
Apple needs to watch now as it has mostly sat still with the platform since it launched - MMS, a faster processor and a compass are hardly groundbreaking items in the last update. The platform still looks and feels the same, Google is catching up fast and I really hope the Maemo does the same as its got a lot of promise having seen 2006, 2007, 2008 and now Maemo 5 versions...
@Mystic, did it occur to you that maybe it required DOUBLE-TAPPING? If you pay attention, the phone responds to him perfectly only by when he tapped it twice.